1. Find a Few Students on Your Campus Interested in Learning About And/Or Practicing

Starting aMindfulness In Law Society(MILS) student group on your campus

Creating a mindfulness program at your law school can be a daunting concept.However, you will likely find that starting your own program is less labor intensive than you imagine.

1. Find a few students on your campus interested in learning about and/or practicing mindfulness.

Finding Participants: The easiest way to attract your peers to your program is to describe the benefits of mindful practice. Practicing mindfulness has been proven to reduce anxiety, increase focus, and improve practitioners’ mood. Law students are driven by nature, and this nature tends to cause anxiety about our grades and performance in general. This anxiety can disrupt our ability to focus, and this lack of focus causes more anxiety and potentially emotional distress. Your peers are probably aware that they are stressed, and simply suggesting a healthy and time-efficient method to reduce their stress usually will get them in the door of your first meeting.

2. Find a faculty or staff member to serve as group advisor. Most law schools will require a faculty advisor for a student group, and it will help with legitimacy and buy-in.

Get Support from Administration: Your law school’s administration is likely well aware of the challenges facing young lawyers and law students. A recent article published by the ABA described the rising rates of depression and alcohol abuse among young lawyers. The study’s author recommends “mandatory law school classes on the importance of maintaining well-being.” While mandatory classes may be a difficult to implement, make clear to your school administrators that sponsoring a mindfulness program at your university is an opportunity to help students manage stress in a cost-effective and efficient way.

3. Put together a “statement of purpose” for the group.

See suggestions on the MILS website:sample statement of purpose

4. Complete & file the necessary paperwork with your “Student Affairs” office.

If necessary, meet with a program director or staff member at your institution for support with filing the appropriateforms. The advantage of becoming "official" at your school is that your group usually will receive some stipend or funding from the Student Bar Association.

5. Get in touch with the national MILS boardHEREso your group can affiliate as an official chapter.

Network with dozens of other MILS chapters and get resources and support.